When Angels Deserve to Die
by Lost-Remembrance
Summary: Kaoru takes a blow meant for Kenshin during a battle. [deathfic]


Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Jem's song, 'Missing You'. The title is from System of a Down's 'Chop Suey!' which isn't mine either. 

Warnings: Character death, angst, TWT, possible OOCness, one shot

Rating: Teen

Pairings: Implied KenshinxKaoru

Note: There will be two versions of this story. One will be on Fanfiction and the other on Foreverfandom. Foreverfandom will hold the songfic and then Fanfiction will hold the tezt-only. Enjoy.

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_**When Angels Deserve to Die  
**_By: Lost-Remembrance (Red Tail)

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Kenshin stood there, letting the rain wash gently over him. The poet who said that the rain cleanses the soul was a fool. He had never taken a life. 

The rain was tinting a pale red color as it ran down his fingers. Of course a passer-by just figured that the red-head was a foolish man. All he was doing was standing out in the rain with that forlorn expression on his face.

"Father," one little girl questioned as she twirled the hilt of her umbrella between her fingers, "why is that man out in the rain?"

Her father was silent for a moment, glancing at the strange man. His eyes flickered to the sword on the man's waist. He ushered his child along, choosing to hurry home instead of lingering near the suspicious man.

The swordsman's eyes flickered to the small innocent child. Her pure and untainted hazel eyes met his own tainted and dulled lavender eyes.

She smiled at him as she walked by, skipping to take double steps to match her father's own larger strides._  
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"Kaoru…"

How he missed her._  
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And how he wished—

He remembered seeing that torn look on her face as tears spread out of her eyes. He cursed her for the foolish action that she took.

And all she did was smile at him in that way of hers. Her hand was over the wound leaking blood down her chest, drenching the front and back of her gi.

"…_I care about you—the rurouni!"_

"Why?" Holding her, his hands were shaking. He refused, even on her deathbed, to admit to her or even himself why they were shaking so.

Blood trickled out of the side of her mouth. She let out a cough, trying to clear the blood gathering in her lungs. Her eyes sparkled with an emotion Kenshin hadn't seen for a long time—"Be…cause…"

Her breathing became struggled.

Kenshin let his sword's hilt drop from his hand to hold the dying woman in his hands. "Kaoru, please…"

Kaoru continued to hold a smile on her face, 'For you Kenshin—as long as you don't have to die. I wouldn't be able to live without you in my life. I'm so selfish…'

Kenshin's throat constricted. A choked sob escaped as the woman's eyes met his own once more. They were fading in color—she was fading before him—and there was nothing he could do to stop it. With what little strength she could muster, she lifted her hand clumsily to her hair ribbon.

Pulling gently, her hair came down in a cascading wave of brown. She nudged the blue ribbon to his hand. A weakened smile was also what he received, "My fav…orite…" a cough interrupted her words, blood dribbling down her chin. "Rib…bon…"

"Kaoru! You have to hold on—" he knew there was no hope. But—he was scared.

Her eyes slowly fading. Her hands became cold and stiller in his grasp. Her body shook as she struggled to remain breathing, to just hold on to tell him those three words. "I…Love…"

And two words were all she managed.

Yahiko remained where he was unbelieving. Sanosuke had let his clenched fists loosen in defeat. His shoulder slumped. Kenshin remained where he was, a trail of silent tears marking their way down his cheeks. His head was bowed.

A darkened figure laughed.

Kenshin jerked his head up, yellow eyes staring at the shadowed figure that was cackling at the man's pain. Grasping the hilt of the sakabato, he eased Kaoru's stilled body off of him. He stood, head still bowed.

And he turned his sword over.

'For you, Kaoru.' Yellow glaring eyes looked at his foe. 'Always for you.'

And that was the day that he died.

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OWARI

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